Structural biology with carbon nanotube AFM probes

Carbon nanotubes represent ideal probes for high-resolution structural and chemical imaging of biomolecules with atomic force microscopy. Recent advances in fabrication of carbon nanotube probes with sub-nanometer radii promise to yield unique insights into the structure, dynamics and function of biological macromolecules and complexes

Don't skate here: Exclusion of skateboarders from urban civic spaces in three Northern Cities in England

Skateboarders, who are predominantly young people, inhabit the fabric of urban conurbations in a way that no other group of open space users do. They have been identified as challenging capital norms, cultural forms and having a unique physical relationship with urban form. In city centres they choose to use specific civic spaces which provide opportunities for tricks. In some city centres skateboarders are excluded from using specific civic spaces by a series of social, legal and physical controls. This paper explores these issues in the context of three northern cities in England in order to develop a deeper understanding of the design approaches used to exclude skateboarders. Finally, the paper discusses the relationship between social, legal and physical controls to exclude skateboarders from specific civic spaces in these city centres. © 2011 Taylor & Francis

Clinical competence in performing and recognising a mediolateral episiotomy of protective angle and length: a systematic review

Objective: It is assumed that all doctors and midwives understand and apply evidence‐based principles in performing episiotomies in their everyday practice. However, remarkable discrepancies between even the most reputable literature sources in defining and describing the technique of performing mediolateral episiotomy (MLE) suggest that there is much ambiguity and confusion for both researchers and clinicians alike. Design: The systematic review protocol was written prior to starting the review and registered in the international prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO/ID CRD42017070523) last updated on December 15, 2017. The review is reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Methods: A database search was performed using: Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Informit, the Cochrane Library and PubMed from database inception to 17 September 2017, with a final search on 10 February 2017. Studies were included if they examined clinicians' competency in performing an 'ideal' or 'correct' mediolateral episiotomy, as well as those studies that compared the performance of different professional roles. Studies usually defined an 'ideal' incision as one that met the criteria of an acceptable angle of incision from the midline, starting incision point distance from the midline and in terms of the length of the incision created. Results: While many of the studies included in this review were not of high quality (author self‐assessment) and had their own study criteria for a MLE, the literature suggests clinicians are generally unable to perform or simulate episiotomies within such standards. Overall, most of the literature reported doctors were performing more 'ideal', lateral and longer incisions compared to midwives; however, there were studies that found the opposite, showing statistically significant results in favour of midwives performing more protective episiotomies. There was no association between clinicians' participation in formal training courses and their ability to perform the 'ideal' incision, though one study did find an increased number of episiotomies performed under supervision improved clinicians competency. Conclusion: The obvious lack of understanding around defining and performing MLE for clinicians of various professional roles suggests the need to produce a uniform set of guidelines, and to develop a universal, low‐cost approach for teaching and performing the MLE technique in any clinical environment around the world

Thromboelastography (TEG) and rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) for trauma‑induced coagulopathy in adult trauma patients with bleeding

This review is published as a Cochrane Review in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 2. Cochrane Reviews are regularly updated as new evidence emerges and in response to comments and criticisms, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews should be consulted for the most recent version of the Review.Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) is a disorder of the blood clotting process that occurs soon after trauma injury. A diagnosis of TIC on admission is associated with increased mortality rates, increased burdens of transfusion, greater risks of complications and longer stays in critical care. Current diagnostic testing follows local hospital processes and normally involves conventional coagulation tests including prothrombin time ratio/international normalized ratio (PTr/INR), activated partial prothrombin time and full blood count. In some centres, thromboelastography (TEG) and rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) are standard tests, but in the UK they are more commonly used in research settings

EVALUATION OF PREHOSPITAL BLOOD PRODUCTS TO ATTENUATE ACUTE COAGULOPATHY OF TRAUMA IN A MODEL OF SEVERE INJURY AND SHOCK IN ANESTHETIZED PIGS

This material is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence except where otherwise statedUK Ministry of Defence

On the Quantum Theory of Molecules

Transition state theory was introduced in the 1930s to account for chemical reactions. Central to this theory is the idea of a potential energy surface (PES). It was assumed that such a surface could be constructed using eigensolutions of the Schr\"{o}dinger equation for the molecular (Coulomb) Hamiltonian but at that time such calculations were not possible. Nowadays quantum mechanical ab-initio electronic structure calculations are routine and from their results PESs can be constructed which are believed to approximate those assumed derivable from the eigensolutions. It is argued here that this belief is unfounded. It is suggested that the potential energy surface construction is more appropriately regarded as a legitimate and effective modification of quantum mechanics for chemical purpose

Ease of use and accuracy of a perinatal measuring device (Episiometer) to ensure correct angle and length of a mediolateral episiotomy: a mixed methods study

Introduction: To guide clinicians in performing mediolateral episiotomies (MLEs) at 60‐degrees, a new clinical innovation called the 'Episiometer' was developed. The aim of this study was to assess the usability and accuracy of the Episiometer in guiding clinicians to perform a safe episiotomy in both low‐ and high‐resource settings. Design: A prospective, multi‐site Phase‐I clinical trial was conducted between January 2017 and July 2018, involving three international study sites: Australia; Papua New Guinea; and India. The study design was mixed‐methods, incorporating an explanatory sequential design using surveys, clinician interviews and patient chart review to determine the usability and accuracy of the Episiometer. The patient chart review and results of this are discussed in an accompanying article. Methods: The Episiometer is the clinical innovation designed to attain an episiotomy cutting angle of 60‐degrees. The instrument is designed to assist clinicians to make an accurate and consistent episiotomy cutting angle within a 'safe' green zone between 45–60 degrees and length of at least 4 cm. The instrument also improves the visibility of the 60‐degree line to clinicians, and provides an exact measurement for length (located on the 60‐degree angle line). Clinicians from all three sites were recruited to provide feedback and measurements of incisions performed using the Episiometer (n = 135) following attendance at a minimum of at least one training session with site coordinators. Twenty of these clinicians were then recruited randomly from the sample who responded in the surveys and interviewed face‐to‐face. Patients were followed up 6‐weeks postpartum to monitor potential complications (n = 120). Results: Overall, the Episiometer was well received by clinicians – particularly by more junior staff members who were significantly more likely to report the Episiometer as being beneficial in guiding a safe MLE compared to their more senior counterparts (P = 0.003 and P = 0.011, respectively). In addition, 89% of incisions (107/120) were within the 'safe zone' between 45‐60 degrees, and 40% (48/120) were made at exactly 60‐degrees. No patient had any degree of perineal tear at follow up. Conclusion: The Episiometer is a well‐received clinical innovation in both high‐resource and lower resource settings. When used as directed, the Episiometer produces an accurate and safe incision, and reduces variation in clinicians' performance of episiotomy

Remnant Fermi surface in the presence of an underlying instability in layered 1T-TaS_2

We report high resolution angle-scanned photoemission and Fermi surface (FS) mapping experiments on the layered transition-metal dichalcogenide 1T-TaS_2 in the quasi commensurate (QC) and the commensurate (C) charge-density-wave (CDW) phase. Instead of a nesting induced partially removed FS in the CDW phase we find a pseudogap over large portions of the FS. This remnant FS exhibits the symmetry of the one-particle normal state FS even when passing from the QC-phase to the C-phase. Possibly, this Mott localization induced transition represents the underlying instability responsible for the pseudogapped FS

Manageable creativity

This article notes a perception in mainstream management theory and practice that creativity has shifted from being disruptive or destructive to 'manageable'. This concept of manageable creativity in business is reflected in a similar rhetoric in cultural policy, especially towards the creative industries. The article argues that the idea of 'manageable creativity' can be traced back to a 'heroic' and a 'structural' model of creativity. It is argued that the 'heroic' model of creativity is being subsumed within a 'structural' model which emphasises the systems and infrastructure around individual creativity rather than focusing on raw talent and pure content. Yet this structured approach carries problems of its own, in particular a tendency to overlook the unpredictability of creative processes, people and products. Ironically, it may be that some confusion in our policies towards creativity is inevitable, reflecting the paradoxes and transitions which characterise the creative process